TodayHint

Letter Boxed September 28, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This puzzle required strategic thinking about letter distribution and word connections. Solvers had to balance the need for common letters with the constraints on consecutive letters and word chaining.

The board that was printed

Twelve letters, three to a side. A word could hop from any side to any other but never twice in a row from the same side, and each word had to start on the letter the last one ended on.

  • TopLIS
  • RightHTR
  • BottomAUM
  • LeftCBN

Par is 5 words. This board accepts 1613 words in total.

Letter Boxed hints, one rung at a time

Six rungs, softest first. The recap above already named the chain, so this ladder is here for anyone replaying the board fresh rather than as a spoiler shield.

  1. How the board wanted to be attacked

    Method only — no word from the chain.

    The board has a mix of common and uncommon letters. Starting with a word that uses a side with multiple common letters could be beneficial. The goal is to find a word that sets up multiple possibilities for the next word, given the constraints.

  2. Board facts: letters, par and how many words fitted

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    L · I · S
    Right side
    H · T · R
    Bottom side
    A · U · M
    Left side
    C · B · N
    Par
    5 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    1613
    Back to the twelve letters
  3. The opening word, without naming it

    Consider a 7-letter word starting with A, which could offer several paths forward.

  4. How long the opening word was, and where it started
    Opening word
    9 letters, starts with C
    Word 2
    6 letters
  5. The opening word itself

    The recap above already named it; this rung is for a replay.

    Word 1
    CHARLATAN
  6. What each remaining word had to do

    Last rung before the full chain.

    Each word after the first began on the letter the previous one ended on, and between them they covered all 12 letters.

    Word 2
    6 letters, starts with N
    Open the full chain

Every word of that day's chain

All the words, folded. Each one stays hidden until you open it.

  • Word 1 · 9 letters

    CHARLATAN

    A charlatan is a person who pretends to have skills or knowledge they don't really have. This word uses the letters C, H, A, R, L, T, A, and N, setting up the last letter A for the next word.

  • Word 2 · 6 letters

    NIMBUS

    A nimbus is a dark, rain-bearing cloud. It starts with N, the last letter of CHARLATAN, and uses the letters N, I, M, B, U, and S, clearing several letters from the board.

Other chains that solved that board

Any chain using all twelve letters, each word starting where the last ended, was a win. These came out of that board's own word list, so every one of them was playable.

  • Alternate chain 1 · 2 words

    ALBURNSSMITCH

  • Alternate chain 2 · 2 words

    ALMIRAHSSUBANTARCTIC

  • Alternate chain 3 · 2 words

    ARMCHAIRSSUBSTANTIAL

This board by the numbers

Date
Monday, September 28, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
5 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
1613 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

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